Like the rest of the world, Japan is in the midst of a devastating third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. What originally started as a gradual rise in cases in late autumn, especially post-Halloween weekend, morphed into an end-of-year explosion of cases. This was despite PM Suga suspending the controversial Go-To-Travel campaign to curb winter holiday travel.
Yet, these most recent measures were to no avail. At the beginning of the year, new COVID-19 cases in Tokyo alone rose to the 2000s. To make matters worse, ICU beds are full up across the country, bringing hospitals to full capacity. As a result, a second, less aggressive state of emergency was called last week.
In the midst of this, I’ve heard differing perspectives about how Japan has been handling the COVID-19 pandemic and even wrote an opinion piece last spring about how they could prevent further issues. Japan of course, does not see a cause for alarm compared to other countries. While the death rate is lower compared to other countries, the mixed messaging from the government is just as frustrating now as it was last year.
To make things even more confusing, the Western media tends to paint a rosy picture of how Japan is handling the public health crisis. This is based on the brief note of success the nation experienced after last spring’s state of emergency with no lockdown. Unfortunately, the tide’s now turned – and not for the better.
Therefore, this piece will specifically address the misconceptions spread by Western media about Japan and the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this is not to encourage cynicism, but rather restore objectivity to the matter. Moreover, many of the takes involve hints of Orientalism, which can often cause onlookers to turn a blind eye to social crises.
Here are the most common myths.
“A Masked Society!”
Notably, Hiratsuka Masayuki, a former 2020 Tokyo gubernatorial candidate, spread the idea that "COVID-19 was just a cold". Share on XTo be fair, this is a common proclamation even during peacetime. In the case of the pandemic, it’s believed that because Japanese people are so obedient and listen to their government, they were able to avoid major casualties. While it is true that Japan has a strong mask-wearing culture, there are no government mandates to wear them.
In addition, there have been anti-mask campaigns in Japan. Though it may not be underlined with the Americana misconception of “freedom”, it is still based in anti-science sentiment and conspiracy.
Notably, Hiratsuka Masayuki, a former 2020 Tokyo gubernatorial candidate, spread the idea that “COVID-19 was just a cold”. Obviously, he didn’t win the election. But his influence did spark an anti-mask demonstration in Shibuya’s Hachiko Square last August.
Finally, we must consider conformity as a factor in Japan’s mask wearing. According to a survey conducted by Nakayachi Kazuya, a Doshisha University professor, respondents were more likely to wear masks because everyone else was wearing them as opposed to personal protection.
At first glance, this could be interpreted as common courtesy. However, Nakayachi warns against relying on conformity too much, as it could build a “society that is constrictive and under surveillance.”
As such, it’s not obedience to the government but conforming to society that motivates mask-wearing in Japan. Past that, not even every Japanese person agrees on whether masks are necessary. Masks weren’t even required at last year’s Shibuya Halloween event. To paint Japan with a broad brush of compliance downplays the severity of the situation.
“A Hygienic Society!”
Both Westerners and Japanese alike have lauded Japan’s widespread cleanliness, and have attributed it to Japan’s success. They have also noted that Japan doesn’t have a culture of physical affection (i.e. handshaking, kissing, hugging) which also prevents the spread of infectious diseases.
While social distancing is encouraged, there is still one caveat to public hygiene in Japan– cough etiquette. The World Health Organization recommends to cough/sneeze in one’s elbow rather than their hand, and it’s also what I was taught to do in my native United States. However, many Japanese people prefer to use their hands. When considering that this is a touch-avoidant culture, then yes, coughing into hands may seem fine–but those same hands are touching buttons, doorknobs, glasses, etc.
One cancer researcher, Osuka Satoru, who lives in the United States, tweeted in early 2019 about how he was initially confused by locals sneezing in their elbows. Eventually, he says, he understood that it was a much safer practice than what he was taught in Japan.
While replies to his tweets question the practice–“What happens to the sleeve? You can wash your hands much quicker than your sleeves”–the Japanese government has also encouraged coughing in the elbow. Former Prime Minister Abe even went so far as to demonstrate it on national television.
“A Money-Giving Society!”
This is probably the most egregious of myths surrounding Japan and the COVID-19 pandemic. On December 1st 2020, Public Citizen, a non-profit consumer advocacy organization, tweeted the following:
No sources were linked for any of these findings. (And sadly, this isn’t the first time Public Citizen has peddled inaccurate facts about Japan.)
Despite this tweet going viral, it was also met with swift criticism with members of Japan’s foreign community. Some detractors said that Public Citizen might be referring to the Employment Adjustment Subsidy, in which qualified businesses receive 15,000 yen per day per employee, two million yen for small-to-medium sized businesses and 1 million yen for sole proprietors.
Nevertheless, these numbers don’t even come close to the percentages that Public Citizen claimed. The only other additional COVID-19 relief residents of Japan received was a one-time payment of 100,000 yen last spring/summer, and the infamous Abenomasks. Current Prime Minister Suga has drafted up a new COVID-19 stimulus plan, but will mostly target businesses and the economy at large, as opposed to individual households.
Summary
Exceptionalism and navel-gazing will not save us from the effects of this pandemic. National governments placing their hubris over the needs of the public won't, either. Share on XI couldn’t even get into every single myth, as some of their sources have been lost to time. Similarly, I couldn’t dispute every single myth, as most of the proof was anecdotal. Regardless, it is imperative that the Western media take a more critical look at Japan, and do away with what writer Kimimasa Mayama calls “COVID exceptionalism”:
Deputy Prime Minister Taro Asō was more explicitly nationalist: his explanation was that Japan’s mindo was higher than the rest. Mindo, loosely translated as “quality of people”, is associated with Japan’s imperial era, when the Japanese saw themselves standing atop a civilizational hierarchy of Asian people.
-Kimimasa Mayama, “Sweden and Japan are paying the price for COVID exceptionalism”, The Conversation
This harks back to the discourse on Japanese exceptionalism, nihonjinron, which seeks to account for Japan’s uniqueness. All countries are unique, so it goes, but Japan is uniquely unique – and a little superior too.
Exceptionalism and navel-gazing will not save us from the effects of this pandemic. National governments placing their hubris over the needs of the public won’t, either. Not only do many Japanese people think the Tokyo Olympics need to be canceled or postponed, but they also believe stricter measures should be taken to prevent the spread from getting worse.
Myths can be comforting, perhaps even inspiring in the face of danger. But many of them are based on outdated concepts and beliefs from the past that don’t benefit us in the present. Moreover, they are based on the idea that we all live in unique societies that are also exclusive of one another — when in fact, we are deeply affected by what goes on across the world. Therefore, we owe it to ourselves, and the general public, to be honest with the effects of this pandemic, and how we as a global society, can better handle this crisis.
